François de Coligny, Count of Coligny and Lord of Châtillon (28 April 1557 – 8 October 1591) was a French Protestant general of the

Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war (), is a war and conflict which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion and beliefs. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent ...

Early life

Coligny was born on 28 April 1557 at

Châtillon-Coligny Châtillon-Coligny () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. The Loing and the Briare Canal run through the town. Sights and monuments * Château de Châtillon-Coligny Notable people * Gaspard I de Coligny (c.1465 ...

. He was the son of

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Gaspard II de Coligny Gaspard de Coligny, seigneur de Châtillon (; 16 February 1519 – 24 August 1572), was a French nobleman, Admiral of France, and Huguenot leader during the French Wars of Religion. He served under kings Francis I and Henry II during the ...

(1519–1572) and, his first wife,

Charlotte de Laval Charlotte de Laval, Dame de Châtillon (1530 – 3 March 1568), was a French noblewoman from one of the most powerful families in Brittany. She was the first wife of Gaspard de Coligny, Seigneur de Châtillon, Admiral of France and a prominent H ...

(1530–1568). From his parents' marriage, his siblings were

Louise de Coligny Louise de Coligny (23 September 1555 – 9 November 1620) was a princess consort of Orange as the fourth and last spouse of William the Silent. She was the daughter of Gaspard de Coligny, seigneur de Châtillon by his first wife, Charlotte de L ...

(wife of Charles de Téligny and

William I of Orange William the Silent or William the Taciturn (; 24 April 153310 July 1584), more commonly known in the Netherlands as William of Orange (), was the leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs that set off the Eighty Years' War (156 ...

), and Charles de Coligny,

Marquis A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wido ...

d'Andelot, a Lieutenant General in Champagne. After his mother's death in 1547, his father married Jacqueline de Montbel d'Entremont, the Countess d'Entremont and Launay-Gelin, in 1571. From his father's second marriage, he had a younger half-sister, Béatrice de Coligny, who married Count Claude-Antoine d'Albon de Montauban de Meuillon d'Entremont. Coligny came of a noble family of

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

. His family traced their descent from the 11th century, and in the reign of

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revolt known as the ...

, were in the service of the King of France. His paternal grandparents were Louise de Montmorency (sister of

Anne de Montmorency Anne de Montmorency, duc de Montmorency ( – 12 November 1567) was a French noble, governor, royal favourite and Constable of France during the mid to late Italian Wars and early French Wars of Religion. He served under five French kings (Loui ...

) and

Gaspard I de Coligny Gaspard may refer to: *Gaspard (name) Gaspard is a Francophone male given name or family name, and may refer to: {{tocright People Given name * Gaspard II Schetz, Lord of Grobbendonk * Gaspard Abeille (1648–1718), French poet * Gaspard André ( ...

, known as the 'Marshal of Châtillon', who served in the

Italian Wars The Italian Wars were a series of conflicts fought between 1494 and 1559, mostly in the Italian Peninsula, but later expanding into Flanders, the Rhineland and Mediterranean Sea. The primary belligerents were the House of Valois, Valois kings o ...

from 1494 to 1516 and was created

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

in 1516. Among his extended family were uncles

Odet de Coligny The Odet (; ) is a river in western France (Finistère department), which runs from Saint-Goazec (near Leuhan, in the Montagnes Noires of Brittany) into the Atlantic Ocean at Bénodet. The name of the town of Bénodet comes from the river; '' ...

, and

François de Coligny d'Andelot François d'Andelot de Coligny (18 April 1521 – 27 May 1569) was one of the leaders of French Protestantism during the French Wars of Religion. The son of Gaspard I de Coligny, he was the younger brother of Odet, cardinal de Châtillon and ...

, who both played an important part in the first period of the

Career

He first saw action at the defence of

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

during the Sixth War of Religion from 1576 to 1577. First he razed the citadel, guarded by royal soldiers. Then, when the situation became difficult, he made a sortie across the

Cévennes The Cévennes ( , ; ) is a cultural region and range of mountains in south-central France, on the south-east edge of the Massif Central. It covers parts of the '' départements'' of Ardèche, Gard, Hérault and Lozère. Rich in geographical, ...

to Bergerac to recruit reinforcements and fought his way back into the town. At the start of the war of the Catholic League, when king Henry III had practically no other support, he beat the

Duke of Mayenne Duke of Mayenne (duc de Mayenne) is a title created for a cadet branch of the House of Guise. It subsequently passed by marriage to the Gonzaga in 1621, who sold it to Cardinal Mazarin in 1654; he bestowed it on his niece, Hortense Mancini in ...

near Chartres in 1589. He distinguished himself at the

Battle of Arques The Battle of Arques occurred on 15–29 September 1589 between the French royal forces of King Henry IV of France and troops of the Catholic League commanded by Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, during the eighth and final war (1585–159 ...

in September 1589, where his arrival at the head of 500

arquebusier An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. The term ''arquebus'' was applied to many different forms of firearms ...

s allowed the victory of Henry IV to be expanded upon.

Personal life

On 18 May 1581, he married Marguerite d'Ailly (d. 1604), daughter of Charles d'Ailly Lord of Seigneville, and Françoise de Warty. Together, they had four children: * Henri de Coligny (d. 1601), Count of Coligny and Lord of Châtillon; who died in 1601 during the assault on

Ostend Ostend ( ; ; ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke, Raversijde, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the la ...

. *

Gaspard III de Coligny Gaspard III de Coligny, duc de Châtillon, (26 July 1584 – 4 January 1646) was a French Huguenot, who served under Louis XIII of France, Louis XIII, and was appointed Marshal of France in 1622. He was described as "a mediocre general, but absol ...

(1584–1646), Count then Duke of Coligny,

; he married Anne de Polignac in 1615. * Charles de Coligny, Lord of Beaupont. * Françoise de Coligny (d. 1637), who married René de Talensac, Lord of Londrières, in 1602. Coligny died on 8 October 1591.

Family tree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coligny, Francois De French people of the French Wars of Religion People from the Orléanais French generals French nobility 1557 births 1591 deaths Francois